A head including those features is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,333.
That head is particularly advantageous because it is provided with a ball-and-socket joint mechanism surmounted by a handle on which an attachment for the photographic equipment is in turn mounted. The ball joint is normally locked and capable of being unlocked by action on a lever belonging to the handle in such a manner that the photographic equipment can be rapidly and easily positioned even using one hand only, i.e. the one gripping the handle.
A disadvantage of this known head is that the structure so designed imposes a disadvantageous lever arm between the equipment and the ball joint and therefore the head does not lend itself well to the positioning of heavy structures. In addition, the operation of the lever causes the ball joint to pass from being completely locked to being completely unlocked, with the consequence that the equipment may be subjected to sudden oscillations and jolts.